The present invention relates to a drawbar device for a tow vehicle such as a compact tow car, a towing tractor and the like.
A conventional drawbar device for a tow vehicle will be described with reference to FIG. 9. FIG. 9 is a right side view of the rear portion of a tow car as the tow vehicle. The tow car 101 is a battery type compact tow car equipped with a hood 115 as a battery hood which is operable to open and close for covering the top surface of the rear portion (or a rear frame 105) of the vehicle body 102 thereof. The hood 115 is pivoted clockwise as seen in FIG. 9 about a hinge axle 116 that is rotatably connected to the rear frame 105, thus being opened to be in an upright position as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 9. An operator's seat 118 is provided on the hood 115 for an operator to sit thereon.
A drawbar device 130 is provided at the rear of the rear frame 105 of the vehicle body 102 for connecting thereto a towed vehicle (not shown) such as a trailer or the like. The drawbar device 130 includes a drawbar bracket 132 provided on the rear surface of the rear frame 105, a drawbar pin 135 provided at the drawbar bracket 132 so as to be movable upward and downward, and a link mechanism 140 operable to move the drawbar pin 135 according to the operation of an operation lever 138. The operation lever 138 is supported by a lever bracket 142 located on the rear end of the rear frame 105 so as to be pivotable about a support pin 143. The link mechanism 140 includes a drawbar lever 146 provided integrally at the proximal end of the operation lever 138 and a drawbar link 147 that connects the drawbar lever 146 to the drawbar pin 135. The drawbar link 147 is pivotally connected at its upper end to the drawbar lever 146 through a connecting pin 148 and at its lower end to a link-connecting portion 137 of the drawbar pin 135 through a connecting pin 149.
In the drawbar device 130 of the tow car 101, the operation lever 138 in its upright position is manually operated to incline to the position indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 9 by pushing a knob 139 forward and downward, namely, in the direction of the arrow Y in FIG. 9. Thus, the drawbar pin 135 is operated through the link mechanism 140 or moved upward. In this state, the connection portion 170 of a towed vehicle (not shown) such as a trailer or the like can be removed from or inserted into the drawbar bracket 132. With the connection portion 170 of the towed vehicle inserted in the drawbar bracket 132, the operation lever 138 is released from the operating force and then the drawbar pin 135 moves downward due to its own weight. The connecting portion 170 of the towed vehicle is pivotally connected to the drawbar bracket 132 through the drawbar pin 135 while the operation lever 138 is retuned to its upright position through the link mechanism 140. The above drawbar device of the tow car is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 56-73608.
In the above conventional drawbar device 130, the operation lever 138 is provided on the rear frame 105 of the vehicle body 102 and behind the hood 115 so as to be manually operated. In view of opening of the hood 115 as indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 9, the operation lever 138 has to be located behind and at a distance from the operator's seat 118. If the operation lever 138 is located near the operator's seat 118, the opened hood 115 may collide with the operation lever 138, thereby preventing the opening of the hood 115. Therefore, the operation lever 138 has to be located behind and at a distance from the operator's seat 118 for fully opening the hood 115 as indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 9. However, it is hard for an operator to operate the operation lever 138 that is located at a distance from the operator's seat 118 and the operatability of the operation lever 138 deteriorates.
The present invention is directed to a drawbar device for a tow vehicle that improves the operability of an operation lever.